Electrical apparatus for exhibiting and changing advertisements, signs, or the like.



No. 634,403. Patented Dot. 3, I899. A. D. DOUGLASS.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING AND CHANGING ADVERTISEMENTS, SIGNS, OR THE LIKE.

. (Application filed Apr. 11, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 1.

4 I IIII 71 115125 sas m: Monm's Perms cu. Pumouwm \i/Asmumou, n. c.

No. 634,403. Patented Oct. 3, I899.

A. D. DOUGLASS. I

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING AND CHANGING ADVERTISEMENTS, SIGNS,-

OR THE LIKE.

(Application filed Apr. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Rs c0.. PHQTO-L'ITNQ, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR DOUGLAS DOUGLASS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS QR EXHIBITING AND CHANGING ADVERTISEMENTS, SIGNS, OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,403, dated October 3, 1899.

Application filed April 11, 1899. Serial No. 712,624. (No motlelJ To all whom it may concern/- Ileitknown thatLAnTHUaDoUeLasDone LASS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 12 Asteys Row, Essex road, Islington, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Exhibiting and Changing Advertisements, Signs, or the Like Devices, of which the following is a specification.

I may briefly describe my invention in the following manner: On a board of a determined size and shape I trace out the form of the letter A,and on the lines of this tracing I fix electric lamps in such a manner that when current is passed through them they distinctly exhibit the letter A. On the same board I then trace out the letter B of the same size as the letter A. I then fix electric lamps 0n the lines of the tracing, as in letter A, using such of the lamps of the letter A as conveniently can be used to form the letter B. I then trace out each other letter of the alphabet on the same board and of the same size and fix lamps on the tracings, as before, using such lamps from on e' letter to form parts of another as conveniently permit of so doing. I now collect up all connections from thelamps forming the letter A and convey them to suitable terminals, which I mark terminal A, the like from lamps forming the letters I3, 0, D, and so on until I have connected all to their respective terminals. Now I have a number of these boards placed side by side, and I desire to form a word on these boards. I have only to convey current to such terminals on each board as will conduct the current to the lamps forming the required letters to produce the Word determined on. Bay, for example, Pears is the word I desire to exhibit. I have five boards fitted as hereinbel'ore described. On board I I connect my electric supply to terminal P, board 2 to terminal E, board 3 to terminal A, board 4 to terminal R, and board 5 to terminal S, thus spelling the word Pears, as desired. Now

it follows that I can by directing the current to different terminals on each board spell any word of live letters that I choose and by adding more boards any word or words containing as many letters as there are boards placed.

Now it is proposed to alter the direction of the current to the different boards and terminals by automatic apparatus, which I may roughly describe as follows: For each board of the whole sign shall be provided a roller made up of sections, each section having holes bored around its circumference. Into these holes can be inserted pegs or lugs. The sections are to be clamped onto a spindle to revolve and when revolving the pegs or lugs shall act on lever-switches controlling the direction of the current to the terminals of each letter. The pegged rollers may also be used to operate magnetic circuit-closers or relays, the circuit-closers or relays acting directly on the letter terminals. The numbers l to 0 may also be traced on each board and so exhibited in like manner to the letters of the alphabet.

My invention is shown on the annexed drawings.

Figure 1 is a face view of one of my boards with the outline of all the necessary letters of the alphabet and of numerals, also of partitions and compartments which enable any letter or numeral to be selected for exhibition or of being detined by the aid of electric glowlamps, one of which is arranged in each compartment; Fig. 2, a section of such a board through the line a (l of Fig. I; Fig. 3,, a side elevation of apparatus by which the opening and closing of the electric circuit is effected; Fig. 4, an elevation of d rum and contact-pieces by which the electric connections are made on the drum being revolved; Fig. 5, a plan of contact-pieces.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is one of the boards, of which there maybe any nu mher all alike, with partitions l3 so arranged as to form compartment-s each for containing an electric glow-lamp for lighting up the selected alpha betieal letter or the numeral of each of the series of boards that would in combined order constitute among themselves the desired word. As an instance, the words Douglass Patent Signs would require nineteen boards for the con'lbiuation, each having the respective defined let-tcr electrically connected with its terminal.

The board A is preferably glared at the front, as at C, as a protection from the weather and. insuring diffusion of light, and the partitions may be of silvcrcd glass or reflective metal to add to brilliancy of exposure.

The lamps Dare at'tixed to the board A by sockets of the usual kind, these having the conducting-wires E attached by the screwbuttons F, a plate G, secured to the board A, serving forthereturircurreutof all the lamps of each board.

II is a drum with studs I of slats J affixed lengthwise of the drum H bv holes K K and set-screws, which studs as the drum is rotated intermittently by the ratchet-wheel L and pawl M bring the studs to bear upon the fingers N of oscillating or rocking keys P, which are in balance and strung centrally between their ends upon a horizontal pivot pin or rod Q. The keys P by their red Q are adjustable as to amountof depression by a regulation of their carrier frame or bar R in the slots of the standards or uprights S 8,011 which the d ru m H is carried, and as the studs depress the lingers N N the opposite ends of said fingers, which are in metallic connection with one pole of the battery T, are raised and make contact with metallic ends of fixed contact-pieces l for completing the circuit.

The speed of rotation of the drum ll is under control of a slotted lever V, by which the pawl is actuated, said lever being slotted for adjustment of a bolt XV in the slot X of the disk Y, which can be operated by any kind of power, manual or other, preferably by an electric motor driven by the same current which furnishes the light.

Each board may have a separate drum, or any number of wires from different boards can be connected to the respective terminals and the lamps lighted up to indicate the selected word, as by the example, Fig. 4f.

Several drums can be driven from the same motor if all the shafts are coupled up, such as by the coupling-sleeve Z there represented or otherwise.

Since each board contains all the necessary letters of the alphabet and all the necessary numerals, it will be easily understood that any word can be spelled from the one board and also any arrangement of numerals, each being shown or reflected separately and in succession, and where a drum is provided with slats and studs for acting on the fingers by duplicating the conducting-wires therewith any quantity of the same signs or readings can be simultaneously exposed on, say, four sides of a square building or on four separate buildings or separate signal-stations from a single drum; but when words have to be shown en bloc and made up from letters of several drums, as first explained, more than one drum must be employed.

In preparing for the words Douglass Patent Signs nineteen boards would be required for the representation, thus:

@@@@El@@l@ @@@EIEHII @@@@B] one letter being chosen from one board only; but if words such as Pears Soap were required nine boards would be necessary, because there are only nine letters in the two words. London, as a word of six letters, would require six boards, and \Vashington, a word of ten letters,would require ten boards, and so on in proportion; but if one heard only be provided for spelling any word the studs on the drum would be so arranged as to light up only those compartments of the board as would give the desired result. Thus to illustrate the letter F the lower tail-strip of 13" would be omitted. P would be represented by the downstroke and upper loop of l3 or of R. The numeral 8 could be represented by theletter S. Consequently twenty-four letters and seven 11 umerals would be indicated on thirty-one boards to represent probably the longest word that would be required as a sign.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electrically-illuminated sign, the combination with a group of glow-lamps arranged on a single board to form different letters or designs bysuitable selections from said group, of a drum having a plurality ol. studs in two or more series, each of the latter projecting from the face of the drum in parallelism to the axis of the latter, a series of fingers pivotally arranged on a rod, a series of metallic pieces with which said fingers make electrical contact when operated by the studs on the drum, a series of circuit-terminals connected to said metallic pieces and to the lamps, a battery having its poles connected to said lamps and pivoted fingers respectively, means for imparting intermittent revolution to said drum, and speed-controlling devices by which the speed of intermittent revolution of the drum is susceptible of being varied, substantially as described.

In an electrically-illuminated sign, the combination of a group of glow-lamps to form different letters or designs by suitable selections from said group, an intermittingly-rotating drum having a plurality of studs in two or more series, a series of balanced rocking keys pivoted side by side centrally between their ends and having fingers at one end in the path of said studs, contact-pieces with which the other ends of the keys make contact when said keys are rocked by the studs, a series of circuit-terminals connected to said contact-pieces and the lamps, a battery having its poles connected with the lamps and the rocking keys, and mechanism. for intermittingly rotating the drum, substantially as described.

3. In an electrically-illuminated sign, the combination of agroup of glow-lamps to form differentletters or designs by suitable selec tions from said group, an intermittingly-rotating drum having a plurality of studs in two or more series, a series of rocking keys pivoted side by side centrally between. their ends and rocked by the drum-studs engaging one end portion thereof, contact-pieces with which the other ends of the keys make contact when said keys are rocked by the drumstuds, a series of circuit-terminals connected to said contact-pieces and the lamps, a hattery having its poles connected with said lamps and the rocking fingers, mechanism for intermittingly rotating the drum, and means for adjusting said mechanism to vary the speed of the intermittingly-rotated drn m, substantially as described.

4.. In an eleotrically-illuminated sign, the combination of a group of glow-lamps to form different letters or designs by suitable selections from said group, a rotating drum having a plurality of studs in two or more series, a series of. rocking keys having fingers at one end in the path of the drum-studs, a frame or bar carrying a pivot-pin on which all of said keys are pivotally mounted centrally be- .tween their ends, contact-pieces with which the other ends of the rocking keys make contact when said keys are rocked by the drumstuds, a series of circuit-terminals connected to said contact-pieces and the lamps, a battery having its poles connected with said lamps and the contact-pieces, and means for rotating said druunsubstantially as described.

In an electrically-illuminated sign, the combination with a series of glow-lamps arranged to form different letters, or designs, of a drum having two or more series of studs arranged in parallelism to its axis, a series of pivoted fingers so arranged that said studs may engage their ends as the drum revolves, a series of metallic pieces arranged near the other ends of said fingers, a series of circuittermina-ls connected to said metallic pieces and to the lamps, a battery having one pole connected to said lamps and the other pole to the pivoted fingers, a pawl engaging a ratchet on one end of the drum, a slotted pawl-carrier, and a disk having a pin adjust-able in a radial slot in said disk and engaging the slot in the pawl-carrier,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

i i'llllill DOUGLAS llOllGltlSS.

Witnesses:

EDMUND S. SNEWIN,

Vii. O. linown. 

